Accidentally on Porpoise (6 page)

Sean awoke disoriented when the alarm went off at 4:15 a.m. the next morning. He sat up and tried to reach over to slap at the clock and hit the snooze button, but he stumbled over a big, warm, good-smelling roadblock. He let out a startled cry and fell on the lump sharing his bed. It was then his brain connected the pleasant aches in his ass and elsewhere in his body with the man lying next to him who let out a startled cry of his own when Sean landed on him.

Sean managed to silence the alarm by hitting the snooze button. “Sorry,” he mumbled to Emery. “I didn’t mean to wake you up.”

Even in the dark Emery managed to latch his lips onto Sean’s. “Good morning.” Emery’s voice sounded even more delicious, deep and husky and sleep-slurred.

Sean stretched and slowly crawled out of bed. He ached in places he wasn’t used to aching. Not just his ass, but his thighs, and jaw, too.

Aches that made him smile.

He found the alarm clock and shut it off so it wouldn’t buzz again. He blinked when Emery switched on the bedside lamp. Emery laced his hands behind his head and smiled at Sean.

“Am I still a dream?”

Sean slowly blinked. “I don’t know, dude. I’m not even half human until I’ve had my coffee and a shower.”

“Do you have to get up this early every day?”

“No, thank God. But we’ve got a project all the way up in Sarasota. I need the extra time to get up there to the site. Today, tomorrow, and Friday I have to get up early.” He staggered into the kitchen and set up the coffeepot. Usually he did it at night before he went to bed, but he’d been a little distracted the night before.

A giggle escaped him as he dumped grounds into the filter.

I got fucked yesterday. Fucked gooood.

And Mr. Nakey Hunk wanted him.

When the memory of Emery shifting into a dolphin in the pool threatened to upend his equilibrium, he shoved it deep down into his subconscious. He didn’t want to think about that. He could deal with that at his leisure once they’d settled into a routine. He could not deal with it right now, however, without coffee and at oh-crap-thirty in the morning. He could even deal with the fact that a guy he’d met less than twenty-four hours ago was the man he instinctively wanted to spend the rest of his life with. And he could deal with the fact that Emery magically seemed to want him just as much.

Dolphin shifters?

Nuh-uh.

Not without coffee.

He was in the shower when Emery stepped inside with him under the spray. He stared into his grey eyes. The next thing he knew, he was pressed up against the wall with Emery’s slicked cock deep in his ass.

Emery reached around him and grabbed his cock, which immediately hardened in his hand. “I guess I do have time to fuck you so I can send you to work with a reminder of me,” he rumbled in his ear. Then Emery bit his neck.

Sean shivered, throwing his head back against Emery and letting out a cry as his cock immediately exploded in his lover’s hand.

“Hmm, I’ll have to remember that magic button,” Emery teased. He pushed Sean forward, one hand in the middle of his back, the other on his hip as he furiously fucked him to completion. Then Emery pulled out and turned him around, capturing his mouth in a bruising kiss that threatened to awaken Sean’s cock again.

“Mine,” Emery growled. “You belong to me, and I’m going to spend every second we’re together showing you how much I love you.”

Sean wanted to melt right there. He managed to get a hand around the back of Emery’s neck. “You’re mine, too, you know.”

The taller man grinned. “Prove it.”

Sean didn’t know if it was dumb luck or their mental connection that gave him the idea, but he pulled Emery down and bit the side of his neck, bruisingly hard, earning him another growl from Emery. He sucked hard on his flesh for a few minutes. Then he lifted his head and looked.

The dark hickey wouldn’t fade anytime soon. And it was high, up under his jaw, where his shirt collar wouldn’t hide it. Sean traced the outline of the mark with his finger. “You’re not the only territorial one, buddy.”

Emery’s eyes had darkened, smoky, the blue flecks dominant. “We keep this up, we’re gonna look like a couple of octopus victims.”

“I don’t have time to keep this up this morning.” He gently tweaked Emery’s cock. “Or this. Tonight, though. I promise.”

“Do you want to stay here tonight or my place?”

“Here. I have to get up early again tomorrow.”

Emery pressed a deep, lingering kiss to his lips. “Then let me cook you dinner tonight. I’ll go shopping on my way home.”

“What’s for dessert?” Sean asked.

He felt his heart flip at the sight of Emery’s playful grin. “You. Drizzled with my very own special sauce.”

He barely managed to get out of the apartment on time after finding his spare key for Emery and giving him a kiss good-bye. He sipped his coffee and pulled out onto SR 776 to head north, the radio blaring and his mood light. Usually he was a sourpuss when he had to wake up this early. Today he had the best reason of all to smile.

Not to mention he had an ass full of Emery’s cum.

He laughed and thought about the spare pair of briefs he’d stashed in his messenger bag with his laptop. He had a feeling he’d be needing to change them out at some point.

He laughed again when he realized he didn’t mind in the least. Tomorrow morning, he’d be sure to return the sentiment if he was awake enough.

* * * *

Emery turned on Sean’s TV and listened to the morning news while he set up his laptop and checked his e-mail. He didn’t have to be at work until nine, and he suspected his father wouldn’t be too far behind him, if he wasn’t sitting there waiting on him in the parking lot.

He rubbed at the bruise on his neck, broadly smiling. Sean might be a human mate, but he obviously had an Alpha streak of his own in him.

He loved it.

He finally played the voice mails on his cell, deleting them all before the messages played completely out. His father sounded progressively angrier in each one.

This won’t go well.

After pouring himself another cup of coffee, he returned to his laptop and began searching local real estate ads. With Sean’s help, he could easily be packed and out of the house in a day. He didn’t have a lot of stuff. If he had to, he could put it in storage and stay with Sean until they decided what to do. He e-mailed himself the information on a few listings so he could see them on his phone. By eight o’clock he was dressed and out the door, smiling as he looked at the apartment complex after locking the door with the key, now on his key ring. Other than wishing they had a pool to themselves, it was fine for now.

Our place.

He got in his car and started it. While he let the AC run for a few minutes to cool it down, he texted Sean.
Heading out. Love you.

Before he pulled out, Sean replied.
Luv U 2. CU 2night.

Emery smiled at the shorthand and wished he could speed up time to that evening so he could have Sean in his arms again.

“Emery? Your father is here to see you.”

Emery stiffened at the nervous tone in his usually laid-back receptionist’s voice. It was nearly eleven o’clock in the morning, and he’d managed to put his parents out of his mind when he was pleasantly surprised to find no one other than his own employees parked in the lot when he arrived at work.

He was about to tell her to tell him he wasn’t there when he heard his father’s deep voice rumbling behind her as he pushed past her and through the door.

Emery glanced at her. “Thanks, Kim. Please close the door.”

She furtively glanced at Emery’s father before hurrying out and pulling the door shut behind her.

From the furious look on his face, he immediately understood why Kim had acted so weird. She’d been terrorized. Joseph Nadel stood one inch shorter than his son and cut an imposing figure, in far better shape than most men a fraction of his fifty-nine years. No grey yet lightened his black hair, and his grey eyes burned with a hellish intensity in his rage.

Emery, however, was immune to his father’s thunderous looks. He leaned back in his chair and tossed the pen in his hand onto his blotter. “Yes?”

“You haven’t returned my phone calls.”

“I was going to.”

“When?”

“When I got around to it. Is that why you came here and scared the crap out of my receptionist?”

He stormed over to Emery’s desk and leaned over, his hands flat on the surface. “I forbid you to mate with a human. Especially a
male
human!”

“You don’t have any say in the matter, Father. And pass along the message to Erik that the next time I run into him, I’m kicking his damn ass for being a snitch.”

“He at least has the pod’s best interest at heart.”

“I have a mate-bond with my mate, Father. You know as well as I do we have no control over that. And what difference does it make if I mate with a human or not? Others in our pod have mated with humans.”

Joseph Nadel took a few deep, enraged breaths. When he next spoke his voice sounded lower, barely controlled through clenched jaws. “You are the Alpha son of the pod Alpha. You will fucking marry who I tell you to marry. I don’t give a shit about a mate-bond. It’s a human. As far as I’m concerned, it doesn’t exist.”

Emery slowly rose and leaned over the desk, nose to nose with his father. “Fuck. You,” he softly said. “Sean is my mate. He is not an ‘it.’ You and the entire pod can go fuck yourselves.”

Joseph’s eyes widened in shock as he stood back. “You are my Alpha son! You cannot walk away from a pod that our family has controlled for generations! It is your responsibility to take over and produce an heir to continue our line!”

Emery didn’t move, didn’t give ground. He had four siblings, three sisters and a brother. He was the eldest child, and none of his siblings were Alphas. He also didn’t give a shit about anything anymore other than Sean. “Maybe it’s time someone else’s family controls it.”

“Perhaps you don’t understand what’s at stake here. If someone else comes in and challenges for control, the entire pod is at risk. The safety of the members are at risk.” He set his jaw. “Children are at risk.”

“This isn’t the old times you loved to scare the crap out of me with, Father. Some asshole can’t just go around committing infanticide because he’s now in charge of the pod.”

“Our pod has remained safe for all these years because of tradition. Because we’ve cared for each other for centuries. You cannot walk away from that.”

Emery let out a snort. “You’re not getting it. You can’t stop me. Exile me if you won’t accept my mate, but if you force me to choose between the pod and Sean, it’s a no-brainer.”

He turned and headed for the door, spinning on his heel and jabbing a finger at Emery. “This isn’t over.”

He left, slamming the door behind him.

Emery dropped into his chair and blew out a long, relieved breath.

Well, that didn’t go half as bad as I thought it might.

He looked at his phone and pulled up the e-mails he’d sent himself with the real estate listings. He picked up his office phone and dialed the phone number in the first listing.

* * * *

Joseph Nadel returned to his Lincoln and climbed behind the wheel, slamming the door harder than he intended. He turned to Erik. “He’s infatuated.”

“I told you, sir.”

He tried to rein in his rage and pounded his hands on the steering wheel a few times to release the pressure. “This cannot happen. I will not allow it. It will threaten the pod.”

“I know, sir.”

He studied Erik. “I know you’re gay, and your motivations in this matter aren’t exactly the purest, but I do appreciate you coming to me with this.”

“Sir, I won’t lie to you. I love your son. I also understand the traditions. I know how important it is for the pod Alpha’s line to continue. I would have no problem with him being in an arranged marriage to produce an heir to preserve the traditions as long as we have your blessings to still be involved with each other. I would never do anything to interfere with the future of the pod.”

Joseph took a deep breath before patting Erik’s shoulder. “See, you’re a good man. You know what’s best for the pod and are willing to put your own desires aside for the greater good. I wish you were my son.”

“I will always put the pod first, sir. Tell me what you want to do. How can I help?”

“I don’t know. He’s stubborn.” He pointed at Erik. “Not a word of this to anyone else. Especially not to my wife. Do not breathe a word of this to her. Tell Denby to keep his mouth shut about what happened, too. I want you to find out everything you can about this guy he’s seeing. Report directly to me, understand?”

“Yes, sir.” He handed him a scrap of paper. “That’s the guy’s cell number. Emery called me from the guy’s phone yesterday. His name is Sean Morita, but that’s all I know about him.”

“Good.” He pocketed it. “Once I know more about him, I will then decide how to handle it. If he’s driving a crappy car like you said, maybe I can pay him to leave.”

“What if you can’t?”

He didn’t want to say it out loud to Erik. Giving voice to it might make it so. It wasn’t an option he favored, but he wouldn’t discount it if it meant doing what was best for the pod. Exiling his son was never something he wanted to vocalize lest it come true. “Let’s just say I hope it doesn’t come to that.”

* * * *

As Joseph put the car in gear and pulled out of the parking lot, Erik did his best to conceal his smile of triumph. He wouldn’t have a problem sharing Emery. Hell, maybe they could find a kinky girl who’d take them both on for the good of the pod. He could still have Emery then, and Joseph would elevate Emery to pod Alpha once Emery had an heir. He could be as good as in charge by Emery’s side. He just needed time to show Emery how good they could be together.

And get that damn monkey man out of his bed.

* * * *

Sean spent his drive to Sarasota thinking alternately about what he had to do that morning and wiggling his ass around on his seat to relieve the pleasant ache from where Emery had fucked him in the shower.

His cock remained half-hard for the entire drive. A few times he’d tried sending silent mental messages to Emery, but didn’t receive a reply.

Must be the distance. Sad panda.

He consoled himself with the thought of getting back home that evening and into Emery’s arms. Even better, he’d checked his schedule and he’d have a rare entire weekend off. Some of their projects had to be conducted on weekends when traffic was lighter. This one, however, had opened up.

The thought of getting out on the water with Emery turned his chubby to a full-on woody. Despite his initial shock and discomfort over the size of Emery’s penis, he had to admit in retrospect he was eager to try it out again.

Soon.

Guess that means I need to accept the whole dolphin thing.

At lunch he called Emery. “My briefs are squishy.”

Emery’s laugh on the other end churned his heart in a good way. “I can’t imagine why.”

“Fortunately, I brought a spare pair to change into.”

“Aww. That’s cheating.”

“No, that’s not wanting to walk around smelling like a cumdump all day.”

“I think you smell delicious as a cumdump. As long as it’s my cum.”

“Oh, look at that. We’re already making romantic small talk like two old fuddy-duddies. Have you talked to your dad?”

* * * *

Emery closed his eyes and conjured the image of Sean’s face in his mind. He wasn’t going to worry his mate about the confrontation with his father. “You mean suffer through a lecture? Yes, but he’s full of hot air. Hey, I hope you come home hungry. Baked ziti and all the trimmings.”

“Yum. It’s not bad enough you fill my ass, you’re gonna fill my stomach, too?”

“One way or another, buddy. Call me when you’re on the way home so I can have it ready.”

“Will do.”

When he got him off the phone he tried to focus on his work and had trouble concentrating. He knew his father prized the pod over all else, but this was ridiculous. He was his son. He couldn’t put the other bullshit aside? Sure, in the old days, when they had to worry about being discovered, it made sense to keep the ranks closed tight. But now, shifters married humans all the time. Even other shifters of different races. They were better off banding together than isolating themselves.

Fuck the pod.
If his father cared more about the Alpha position than his own flesh-and-blood, he could have the fucking pod, and Erik.

Now his anger simmered, threatening to boil over. He wanted to beat the crap out of the son of a bitch for sticking his nose in where it didn’t belong. Friends all their lives and then turning on him like that?

Fuck. Him.

By the time four o’clock rolled around, he’d accomplished very little except narrowing the field of possible rental houses to three good choices. He had appointments to go look at them tomorrow.

They all had pools and private, fenced backyards.

That boosted his mood somewhat.

He gathered his things and called it a day. He had to go grocery shopping.

A grin split his face.
I get to cook for my mate.

* * * *

Erik watched from the parking lot across the street, where he’d parked in the deep shade under a stand of trees off to the side where Emery wouldn’t spot him. Emery would have to cross the highway and make left-hand turn to head south. Erik could pull out a few cars behind him. Erik suspected he’d be going to his mate’s house again tonight since he hadn’t gone home at all the night before.

He’d find out where the mate lived and track down more information on him from there.

He hated the shit-eating grin on Emery’s face because he knew he wasn’t the one who’d put it there.

It was that damn human he was grinning for.

When Emery’s car passed, Erik made his move, staying far enough behind Emery’s Mustang that he wouldn’t be spotted. He’d borrowed a friend’s car, because Emery would spot his Cherokee.

The next stop was the Pine Street Publix in Englewood. He was in there over forty minutes and emerged with a cartful of groceries. Then Erik followed him to a crappy apartment complex north of Dearborn Street.

Erik turned a street before the apartment when he saw Emery pull in. He waited, circled the block, and cruised by in time to see Emery hauling a load of groceries into apartment 4.

He didn’t dare risk getting any closer for fear of Emery spotting him. He kept moving, circling around to the Publix where he pulled in and called Joseph Nadel.

“I have an address, but not where he works yet… Yes, sir. I will get that for you soon. Very soon.”